7.2 Slavery in the Roman Empire

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Describe the legal and social structures that supported slavery in the Roman Empire
• Discuss the different experiences of enslaved men, women, and children
• Explain the importance of gladiators in Roman culture

Slavery was a fundamental part of Roman daily life. Enslaved people came from many parts of the large empire and had been enslaved in many different ways. They worked in a variety of contexts and were subject to their master’s whims and punishment. Many were trained as gladiators, professional fighters paid to battle before an audience, sometimes to the death, but others worked in the cities and countryside in a variety of roles. The freeing of enslaved people was a common practice, and freed people were important to the continued functioning of the Roman economy and political order.